Amphibalanus amphitrite
Arriving as silent stowaways cemented to the shells of introduced hermit crabs, these filter-feeding barnacles extend feathery cirri into the water column to capture suspended food, marking the second barnacle species to enter miniBIOTA's saltwater realm.
Arrived June 12, 2026 on hermit crab shells from Tampa Bay coast. Count unknown. Survival unconfirmed post-introduction. Cross-fertilization requires at least two living adjacent individuals.
Suspension filter feeder identical in function to Bay Barnacle (A. improvisus). Extends cirri through opercular plates to sweep water column for suspended particles. No direct feeding observed in miniBIOTA; role based on family biology.
One of the most salinity- and temperature-tolerant barnacles known; global distribution attests to broad environmental tolerance.
Follow this species across the habitats where it currently appears in the miniBIOTA biosphere.
